There’s a moment in the film Braveheart where swords are drawn, chaos is rising and the cry goes out from William Wallace to “hold, hold, hold the line!” It’s not just a call to arms, it’s a call to courage and conviction, to stand firm when everything says run. As people of faith, we don’t do this alone. Shoulder to shoulder, we hold our ground together.
We know that feeling. The pressure to bend, to blend in, to be liked. In a world that rewards popularity and performance, holding the line can look like losing. It’s easier to go with the flow, to soften the edges of what we believe so we don’t offend or stand out. The Gospel doesn’t call us to comfort, it calls us to truth. Jesus asks, “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
Jesus didn’t just talk about conviction, he lived it. Luke tells us he “set his face toward Jerusalem,” knowing full well what awaited him. He didn’t chase approval or play it safe. He spoke to those others ignored. He challenged the powerful, not for the sake of rebellion, but because love demanded it. He healed on the Sabbath, spoke to outcasts, and challenged the powerful. He bent rules for mercy’s sake, not convenience. He didn’t measure his worth by comparison, instead, he stood firm in who he was and what he was sent to do.
That kind of strength takes preparation. St Paul compares it to training for a race. You don’t wake up with endurance, you build it through prayer, fasting and generosity. It’s the small, daily choices that shape who we become. “Be steadfast,” Paul writes, “immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
In today’s culture wars, standing firm often gets confused with aggression. It’s tempting to be drawn to hard lines and certain answers because it feels safe. However, the call of Christianity isn’t to be hard of heart, it’s about being anchored in love.
Yes, there will be tension and moments when conviction meets contradiction and dialogue feels impossible, but that’s where grace enters. These are the opportunities to listen, discern and stretch without snapping. When the world pushes and pulls, when the noise gets loud and the path gets narrow, remember, you’re not standing alone. We hold the line together in faith.
by Nathan Ahearne